Photo © Jill Greenberg
I have been a long time admirer of Jill Greenberg. She first came to my attention with her highly retouched “shiny people” technique often used in her commercial work, and now with her more fine art focus of monkey, bear and horse subjects.
In 2008, Greenberg shot a commissioned fashion spread for the US Olympic Synchronized Swim Team. Showcasing the swimmers in their element of water, but at the same time wearing high heel shoes to heighten sexuality, as well as shot from below thus cutting off their heads (and in my perception, further objectifying them) at the water surface. Greenberg thought this styling absurd, as high heels restrict and control movement and their heads breaching the surface emphasize the waters holding them down.
In her latest show “Glass Ceiling, now showing at the Clamp Art Galley in NYC, Greenberg gives us her own metaphorical take on the role women must play in in the outside world.
JIll Greenberg will also be speaking at the Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) in Atlanta this coming October. I hope to be able to hear more of what she has to say in person!
For the longest time, I had an image in my inspiration folder of a little girl in foliage. I didn’t know who the artist was or the context of the piece, but I liked it. To my surprise I saw this same image in a gallery window a few weeks ago downtown.
Thinking it was from a previous show, but curious to find out the artist name, I stepped inside the gallery. Happily I came across an entire show of Ruud Van Empel’s work entitled “Generation”.
What I like about Van Empel’s work is not only his style, but his depiction of both black and white children in the same context. Uninterested in rehashing old stereotypes, he creates images that communicate universal themes of adolescence and growing up, that focus more on humanity and less about race.
“Generation” can be seen at the Stux Gallery in NYC until October 23,2010.
Fall always brings in a slew of new art openings in town. Sometimes I like to spend an afternoon checking out some of the smaller galleries downtown and discovering new artists work.
Recently I came across Lori Field, at the Claire Oliver Gallery. I love her childlike surreal imagery of the feminine and animals. Color pencil drawings done on translucent rice paper then embedded in thin layers of wax create a hazy dreamlike quality to her canvases.
Field’s latest works are her interpretation of the negative messages and surreal quality of the 24 hour news cycle. In these works she strives to achieve an alternative narrative, ‘what would happen after the sky fell?’
Unfortunately due to my slow blogging response, the show just ended. But you can see some of her latest work here.
Recently, I made a blog post on the master printer Toros. However another great printer, a contemporary of Toros, is Voja Mitrovic. Peter Turnley recently wrote an article on Voja (pronounced Voya), who Turnley personally knows, for The Online Photographer. You can read the full article , as well as see examples of Voja’s work with Henri Cartier-Bresson, as his longtime personal printer.
Toros
While checking out the Henri Cartier-Bresson retrospective, I noticed the name of Pierre Gassmann on several of the prints showcased in the exhibit. Gassmann, who opened his studio, Picto, in 1950, taught his staff the craft of photo printing. Among them was a man named Toros, who is still working today. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Toros at his studio in Paris.
Originally from Armenia, Toros is one of a handful of master printers in the world still working today. By master printer I mean one who uses traditional printing methods of darkroom developing, and burning and dodging using his bare hands; techniques he’s perfected over 40 years. Working closely with his clients, he’s able to emphasize or reduce shades of light and dark, bringing the photographer’s vision to light. The tonal detail in Toros prints is truly amazing!
Before and after print
Over the years his clients have included such icons as Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau, Capa and Koudelka. Unfortunately, I think printers of his caliber and craftsmanship specializing in black and white are slowing disappearing due to the digital camera. For now, however, his studio is still operating and he is happy to work with anyone, whether for an upcoming show or a personal portfolio. Toroslab 20 rue Marie-Stuart 75002 Paris.
John G. Morris
Another person I had an opportunity to meet with during the Peter Turnley workshop was John G. Morris. The first president of Magnum Photo Agency, he was also Life Magazine director of coverage of D-Day, and former picture editor of the New York Times, Look, and Life magazines. Morris was gracious enough to invite us into his home where gave a slide presentation of his career and life’s work. A very sweet man with many stories to tell!
I met Tim Goldman several years ago at a Graphic Artist Guild workshop, where we were both starting to spread our freelancer wings. A fan of his laid back mid-western demeanor and colorful artworks, over the years I’ve watched his style evolve to encompass new markets such as licensing and video game illustration.
So who is Tim Goldman?
I think who I am at my core is a curious person who wants to figure things out. That is how I approach illustration and design, just getting things down and out of my head onto the page to what is really working and what isn’t.
What’s a recent job? Tell us a little of your process…
My most recent was a little editorial spot rush job for The Wall Street Journal which veered a bit from my usual process because the timing was short. Here’s how it normally goes: [click to continue…]
